Scrubbing-sponge.



PATENTBD JUNE 19 F. s. HARRISON. SGRUBBING' SPONGE.

APPLIUATION FILED APR ANDREW. a cmflm 00.. ruoro-Llmocmriimi msnmamu, a c.

- oria, in the county of Peoria'and UNI D sr 'r s FATENT oRRIo I *1 FRANK s. HARRISON, or PEORIA, ILLINoIs. I i

' LASGBUBBING-ISPQNGE.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 19, 1906.

Application filed April 12, 190 5. Serial No. 255,098.

To all whom it may concern.-

.- Be it known that I, FRANK S. .HARRIsoN, a citizen of the United States, residin atrPe- I tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scrubbing-Sponges; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

' stringy material, being first wadded together by suitable means and in a suitable shape and a binder for the said sponge consisting of a cord wrapped longitudinally and transversely about the sponge and being interlocked with itself at intersecting points, the said binder bein of some suitable shrinkable material adapte in the use of the sponge to automatically embed itself into the material of the sponge out of reach of friction and destruction.

That the invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 re resents in a plan a scrubbingsponge embo ying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of a sponge, showing the extent of the contraction or shrinkage of the binder and the manner in which it embeds itself into the mass of hair by constant use.

The advantages of a sponge of the character herein shown will be better understood from the following explanation and description of the same. Curled hair or other fibrous stringy material wadded into a mass as a scrubbing contrivance it is already well known makes a better, less injurious, more durable, and less costly means of gently or vigorously scouring the flesh in connection with soap and water to remove foreign matter than bristle ends or brushes of a similar character. I

In order to make a practical and economicalapplication of curled hair or similar material as a sponge or brush, the lnventlon is composed of curled hair or similar stringy material, which is indicated as 1 in the drawings,

gitudinal directions exteriorly of the said wad, the same being of some suitable shrinkable material, either oftwisted hemp, cotton, gut, or any material possessing the property of shrinkage. .As a binder for a wad or pad of-curled hair or similar material the vsame must needs vbe of shrinkable nature to adapt the material of the sponge to expand and release itself when drying to permit the same to,

become thoroughly alred or cleansed after its use in soap and water.

' The binder as here shown is in the form of an ordinary bundle-tie, being a single cord carried transversely about the wad of hair, as at a a, and longitudinally thereof, as at b, and where a and bintersect interlocked or crossed, drawing down the hair and embedding itself into the same, which prevents the cord from shifting to right or left or backward or forward and invisibly retain the sponge in a practical shape. The binder being drawn tightly about the material or upon the shrinkage of the same by use, the

surface of the sponge becomes firmer at points of contact, such as at c, and soft at intermediate points (I, thus producing alternate hard and soft surfaces, giving a varied, but efiective friction. When the binder is wet or moist, it shortens from a; to ac and y to {1], drawing the material down in all directions toward the intersecting points of the binder, producing the resisting surface above referred to and automatically embeds itself out of reach of friction and destruction and finally disappears into the body of the sponge. After using, the sponge should be rinsed or have several holdings of clear clean water squeezed through it, then laid by. As.it dries the binder will to a more or less extent relax and expand, giving the bound-up material a chance to relax, air, and freshen before use .at another time. Curled hair or other similar stringy material as it begins to dry has a peculiar property of untwisting or retwisting itself and changing surface to air and light. Thus any loosening up of the binder puts the article in a more sanitary condition and presents a new scrubbing-surface.

Attention is called to the fact that my or cemented in any way to a binder; 'lhu'swhen the binder which I here employ dries. and the material expands the material is free to shift about according to its natural tendency, producing a sponge especially adapted for use in the toilet and bath.

Having thusfiilly described my invention,

what I claim, and desire. to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-- I. As a new article of manufacture, a scrubbing sponge comprising a body com' posed of curled hair, and a binder of shrinka cord wra pee v ab'le' material com rising transuerse'ly and longitu inally oi the ody for holding same in a compact form.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a

scrubbing-sponge comprising a body of stringy material held compact and compressed by a binder of shrinkable material in the form of a cord wrap ed tautly on the g body to be out ofreach of riction on the rubbing-surfaces of the body.

3'. As a new article of manufacture a scrubbin -sponge comprisin a rubbing-bod compose of curled hair wa ded into a bloc of substantially rectangular form, each face of which has a rubbing-surface, and a shrinkable binder in' the form of a cord wra )ped lon itudinally and transversely of the ody wit the longitudinal and transverse wraps of said binder cord intertwi-ste'd at the points of crossing, said binder cord being wrap ed tightly onthe body so as to be out of reac 0t friction onthe rubbing-surfaces oi the body. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK S-.- HARRISON.

Witnesses:

CHAS. W. LA FORTE, Roar. N. MoComrreK. 

